A blog inspired to teach my children about other countries and cultures through their food. It also includes music, arts, and literature from those countries as well.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

IRELAND: MUSIC AND DANCE

Irish music is fairly well known throughout the
world and especially the English-speaking world. Vocal music has been an intricate
part of the musical traditions of Ireland from the beginning. Harps were also
very much a part of traditional Irish folk music. There were two different
kinds you would see in folk music groups: a smaller harp and a larger one of
about 30 strings. Other instruments include the bagpipes (often thought of as
iconic in Scottish music), fiddles, a variety of flutes and tin whistles, a
variety of other stringed instruments (mandolins, guitars, banjos, bouzoukis), harmonicas,
accordions, and concertinas. The bodhrán drum is a type of frame drum that has
been popularized in Irish music.

There are several genres of traditional folk music,
and one of them is dance music. The three main types of Irish dances are names that
may sound familiar, especially to anyone who has studied music. Reels are
typically in 4/4 time; hornpipes are also in 4/4 time but are characterized by
swung eighth notes. Jigs are can either be single or double and are usually in
6/8 time, but sometimes different kinds of jigs can be written in 9/8 or 12/8
time as well. Melody is far more important in Irish music over harmony, which
is generally kept fairly simple with common variations. Other dances
originating in other countries were also fairly common in Ireland as well such
as polkas, waltzes, mazurkas, and other dances. Irish stepdancing became
familiar on a global scale, especially with the popularity of Irish-American Michael
Flatley and Riverdance during the 1990s.

Of course, Ireland produced a large number of
classical music composers starting in the 16th century. Most of the
names are largely unfamiliar outside of Ireland and perhaps the UK and outside
of musicologists; however, many Irish composers were the teachers and
inspirations for other more notable composers such as Handel and Chopin.

There were so many Irish bands listed that it was
really hard to narrow it down to just a handful of bands to add to my
playlist. There were many who I
have already heard and loved, and there were a few who I didn’t realize were
Irish (I went through this with Australia and Canada, too). And of course, I
added a few new bands in the mix too. So, let’s start with my old favorites. Of
course, number one is The Cranberries. The album No Need To Argue got me through high school along with Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?. In fact during the
1990s, music/CD stores used to sell the piano books to our favorite albums and
singles, and I ran out and bought this when I realized it existed. I’m not sure
if they still sell those or not. You probably have to order them online now. Of
course, I searched around and found it and played a few songs from it. Good
times.

Of course, I went through a phase where I really
liked U2. I still do like them and their [RED] campaign they were doing a few
years ago along with the other socially conscious messages they have. I was probably one of the people who wasn’t exactly irately pissed
off that iTunes delivered their new album to me for free, because, hey, free
music. I definitely think they were better during the 1980s and 1990s, though. I watched this video years ago, and it made a deep impact.

I also used to listen to The Corrs album In Blue quite a bit, but only because of
one song: “Breathless.” This album has a very typical “1990s pop/rock sound” to
it (which makes sense because that’s when it was made, duh). Sinead O’Conner is
one singer I never got into, although I liked the song “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
I think her shaved head scared me as a kid.

And then there’s Enya. I don’t know too many people
who didn’t have the album with the “Orinoco Flow” song on it, or were at least
familiar with the song. It was used in commercials and whatnot. I did stumble
across the choral group Anuna. I really enjoyed listening to this, but of
course, I’m a little partial to choral music. And of course, I almost forgot
about the Clannad CD that was super popular during the 1990s as well. I think
my mom may have had a copy. It’s quite meditative.

Let’s go even farther back: Thin Lizzy, famous for
their song “The Boys are Back in Town,” are Irish. Van Morrison is also
apparently Irish, known for the songs “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Moondance” (which is one of my favorites).

Now, I’ll squeeze in a little note about Irish-American
bands. I’m including the band Flogging Molly (one of my favorite bands ever) because the lead singer Dave King
was born in Ireland. They combine traditional Irish music with rock and a
little punk. I absolutely love this band. They’re coming to Indianapolis to
perform with Gogol Bordello this summer, and I’m sad that I won’t be able to
go. Because THAT would be the perfect concert. Other bands, like the Celtic
punk band Dropkick Murphys, were created in areas of the US with a large Irish
population (like Boston) and have used that influence in their music. There’s
also a Celtic punk band called Pipes and Pints who are from the Czech Republic.

OK, now for a few bands who are fairly new to me.
The Pogues utilize the fiddle, drums, flutes, and other traditional instruments
and styles and modernized it. The lyrics, as far as I can tell, seem to be told
in a story form. The Dubliners is an older band who performs in more or less traditional
styles. You can definitely tell that the main part of the music is in the vocal
line and the lyrics with the instruments clearly the accompaniment, often
imitating the melody line. My high school world history teacher forced us to study the song "Dirty Old Town" and made us listen to it over and over again.

For a little punk/rock, I found Stiff Little
Fingers. They remind me a little of Rancid (who I absolutely love!). For a
little bit harder of a rock sound, I found My Bloody Valentine. Because of the
way their music is recorded, they remind me of the Danish band The Raveonettes
with the constant noise/static in the background, but they are harder than The
Raveonettes. I liked their sound. Axis Of’s music is also on the hard rock
sound, but they will contrast their music with variations in rhythms, elements
of blues, suddenly switching to acoustic for a few bars, and other style
changes. I loved the band The Strypes. My husband and I discussed what genre of
music it is, and the best we could come up with is that they took rockabilly
and roadhouse blues and garage rock, sped it up, and merged it with rock. I loved the album Snapshot so much, I requested it from
the library. I did manage to find an Irish metal band called Waylander that I
liked a lot. Definitely in the category of folk metal, which is my favorite
genre of metal now.

For a little quieter, more reflective sounding rock,
I’d recommend Snow Patrol. The music of Two Door Cinema Club seems to borrow
from a lot of styles and subtly merge it all together. At times it sounds kind
of minimalist but then it’ll sound like a song that Franz Ferdinand passed
over. I liked what I heard from them.

And finally, I learned that Hozier was Irish. I was
so tired of the “Take Me To Church” song because people went nuts over it, and
it became overplayed. My daughter is also not a fan of it but only because some
girl she doesn’t care for sang it all the time. So, I unfairly judged him for
this one song. But I did listen to most of the other songs on the album, and I really
like his rock blues style. So, I stand corrected: you shouldn’t judge an album
based on its radio-play single.

About Me

I'm really nerdy. I have several writing projects going on, and I also have a really long list of books I'm working my way through; I'm still adding books to it, so in essence, I'll never get through it. I'm an amateur food and culture blogger, an amateur baker and cook, an amateur musicologist, an amateur grammarian, an amateur know-it-all, and a professional dreamer. Follow me on Twitter: @KayoSmada.